My Overweight Child: 20 Percent of U.S. Teens have Abnormal Cholesterol Levels

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Monday, January 25, 2010

20 Percent of U.S. Teens have Abnormal Cholesterol Levels

One in every five American teenagers has abnormal cholesterol readings, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The problem is particularly acute among overweight and obese youth:

Among obese teens, the abnormal cholesterol rate is 43 percent.
Among the overweight teens, it is 22 percent.
Among teens of normal weight, the percentage is 14 percent.
Boys were at greater risk than girls, with 24 percent of boys having abnormal readings, compared to 16 percent of girls.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that people under 18 years old should be screened for cholesterol if they have family histories of heart disease or high blood cholesterol, if they smoke, have high blood pressure or diabetes, or if they are overweight.

The new study was published in the Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Researchers used data on 3125 young people enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted every other year

Labels: cholesterol, obese teens, overweight children